New York State Senate GOP advances amendment to constitution on redistricting

The Senate on Monday approved the first step in amending the state constitution to require independent redistricting to reform New York’s notorious gerrymandering, but not without another fight in the chamber over its most heated issue.

The Senate on Monday approved the first step in amending the state constitution to require independent redistricting to reform New York’s notorious gerrymandering but not without another fight in the chamber over its most heated issue.

The full Senate, led by the Republican majority and a few Democrats, approved the measure by the minimum 35 votes. The rest of the Democratic conference opposed the GOP measure, saying it delays redistricting for another decade under the long process required to amend the constitution.

The Democratic conference is seeking a law that will be effective for the 2012 legislative elections. That would mean independently drawn lines would be in place before the Republican’s 32-30 majority could use the current process to draw lines that protect their power. The amendment proposal now goes to the Assembly and a potential referendum.

Democrats continued to accuse Republicans of blocking the reform. But a video has surfaced of a 2010 interview with Sen. John Sampson, leader of the then-Democratic majority, arguing against the bill that he and his party are now slamming Republicans for opposing.

“Are we violating our accountability to voters?” Sampson asks in the Senate-produced video. “I know I can make it fair, I can be fair and I can be accountable with respect to dividing lines.”

Then Sampson, in the video obtained by The Associated Press, blamed Republicans for failing to reform redistricting during the four decades in which they were the majority, until the 2008 elections.

“But all of a sudden, everyone gets an epiphany that now we have to change the rules because the Democrats are in control,” Sampson said, months before voters would throw Democrats back into the minority.

“It’s quite hypocritical,” said Republican Sen. John Bonacic, chairman of the Judiciary Committee that advanced the constitutional amendment Monday.

Sampson’s spokesman said the senator was simply outlining his valid concerns at the time. He notes that Sampson said in the video that he has “no problem” with an independent redistricting commission. During that campaign season, Republicans were the first to support independent redistricting, but now prefer the constitutional convention.

“Senate Republicans keep breaking their promise to pass independent redistricting,” said Sampson spokesman Austin Shafran when asked about Sampson’s video. “Senate Republicans have been a roadblock to reforming Albany for over 40 years, and now they’re pushing a plan that would add another 10 years to their history of failure and record of broken promises.”

In the floor debate in which members of the new Independent Democratic Conference gave Republicans the votes they needed, Sen. Diane Savino gave a hint of the conflict within the Democratic conference last year.

“We all supported it when we were in charge,” the Staten Island Democrat said. “But we couldn’t get it out of the committee and to the floor.” She voted for the GOP-sponsored measure because she said “this may be our only shot” at any independent redistricting.

Page 2 of 2 - That statement and her vote irked several Democrats.

“That, to me, is a cynical scenario that we must reject,” said Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, D- Queens.

The Republican majority called the constitutional amendment proposal the surest way to require independent redistricting.